Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (November 13) highlighted India's role in taking Yoga to the global stage, noting its growing popularity worldwide.
He also underscored the country's efforts to promote traditional healthcare practices such as Ayurveda. Modi said Yoga had been embraced as a sport in several countries, adding that even family members of world leaders practise it every day. Addressing the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Prashanti Kutiram, the Yoga and research centre run by Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA) in Bengaluru, the Prime Minister said the institution had evolved from an ordinary Yoga centre into a major movement dedicated to service, research, education and healthcare. Modi said India's efforts over the past 12 years to showcase its cultural heritage and traditional wisdom on the global stage had helped Yoga gain international recognition, including through the worldwide celebration of International Yoga Day.
VIDEO | Bengaluru: Speaking during the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Prashanti Kutiram, PM Modi, says, "Today in Bengaluru, I have the opportunity to experience the extraordinary energy of yoga. Karnataka has been a centre of yoga for centuries. Several renowned yoga gurus and scholars were born on this land and have enriched the tradition of yoga. We all know that legendary Kannada cinema actor Dr Rajkumar was also a dedicated yoga practitioner. Karnataka has witnessed several such personalities who have contributed to both the world of art and the practice of yoga. Amidst Karnataka's rich legacy, Prashanti Kutiram's 50-year journey stands as an extraordinary and unprecedented saga of service and dedication, one that every Indian should know about."#PMModi #PrashantiKutiram(Source: Narendra Modi YT)(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/bIyFWTfmBd)
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"Yoga has become a gateway for people across the world to understand India," he said.
He added that Yoga had reached schools, institutions and workplaces in several countries. Saudi Arabia, he noted, had recognised it as a sporting activity and signed an agreement with India's Ministry of AYUSH to promote it.
Recalling his interactions with foreign dignitaries and world leaders, Modi said Yoga frequently featured in their conversations. "Whichever country I go to, people discuss Yoga with me over lunch and dinner," he said.
Several leaders had told him that their family members were learning and practising Yoga.
He also referred to the growing interest in Yoga among foreign nationals, including members of Qatar's royal family. Some foreign practitioners, he added, had been honoured with the Padma Shri for their contributions.
The Prime Minister said greater global familiarity with Yoga was generating interest in India's culture and traditional knowledge while opening new avenues of engagement between India and other countries.
(With inputs from PTI)
